Obituaries
• Edwin J. Bednar, 82, of Big Spring died Dec. 6 at his residence and was buried at Trinity Memorial Park. He was born in 1922 in Eola and in 1941 married Luella Tennison, who preceded him in death in 1967. In 1970, he married Zirah LeFevre. He was an aircraft inspector for North American Aviation before joining the U.S. Army, serving as a medic in the European Theatre. He farmed all his life in Glasscock County. He was a member of the Fourteenth and Main Church of Christ, and an elder at the time of his death.
Bednar had served on the Selective Service Board in Midland, the Garden City School Board, Glasscock County FSA Board, and the Howard County Farm Bureau Board. He was fluent in the Czech language, did missionary work in Slovakia and also worked for years in the Big Spring prison ministry. Survivors include his wife, one daughter and son-in-law, Ruth Ann and Gene Spangler of Big Spring; one brother and sister-in-law, Wilburn and Bonnie Bednar of St. Lawrence, and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, one daughter, Suan Blair, and one brother, Clayton Bednar.
• Robert L. Nickell, Jr., 74, of Midland died Dec. 8 and was buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Ballinger. He was born in 1930 in Del Rio to Theresa and Robert L. Nickell. He graduated from Alpine High School and played football for Sul Ross University before serving in CID in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He married Gladys Hill in 1954, graduated from Texas Tech in 1958 and was with El Paso Natural Gas 28 years, first as a drilling engineer and retired in 1986 as regional operations manager of El Paso Exploration.
Nickell is survived by his wife; two sisters, Helen Wilkerson and husband Marion of Garden City and Marilyn Read and husband Bob, of Big Spring; several nieces, a nephew and a host of friends.